eng Science and Education Publishing Journal of Food and Nutrition Research 2333-1240 2023-06-29 11 6 441 453 10.12691/jfnr-11-6-6 JFNR20231166 article Probiotic Lactiplantibacillus Plantarum JS5 Lowers Cholesterol by Modulating the Gut Microbiota in the High-cholesterol Diet-fed Mice Yazhou Mao 1 Rong Ren 1 Shuanghong Song 2 Yuanyuan Hui 2 Linqiang Li 2 Shan Wu 3 Aiqing Zhao 3 Bini Wang biniwang@snnu.edu.cn 3 College of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, XiĄŻan, Shaanxi, 710119, China Key Laboratory of Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry of the Ministry of Education, National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Developing of Endangered Chinese Crude Drugs in Northwest of China, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, XiĄŻan, Shaanxi, 710119, China Research and Development center, Xi'an Yinqiao Dairy (Group) Co., Ltd, Xi'an, 710075 China Hypercholesterolemia is the major cause of cardiovascular ailments worldwide. Jiang-shui contains plenty of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), although nothing is known about its in vitro probiotic characteristics and cholesterol-lowering effect. Thirty-eight strains were isolated, identified, and classified into Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Limosilactobacillus fermentum, and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. In this study, the top five strains with the highest cholesterol-lowering rates were selected, and strain L. plantarum JS5 demonstrated satisfactory in vitro probiotic characteristics. L. plantarum JS5 ingestion increased serum HDL-C levels and suppressed the increase in body weight and serum cholesterol induced by a high-cholesterol diet. After L. plantarum JS5 treatment, the relative abundance of the genera Eubacterium_coprostanoligenes_group, Faecalibaculum, and Blautia increased significantly, whereas the genus DesulfovibrIo decreased significantly, improving the intestinal flora composition. In addition, functional analysis revealed that L. plantarum JS5 consumption influenced intestinal flora metabolism in high-cholesterol diet-fed mice in defense, signal transduction, and cellular activity. Hence, L. plantarum JS5 isolated from Jiang-shui might be ideal for preventing and treating hypercholesterolemia. http://pubs.sciepub.com/jfnr/11/6/6/jfnr-11-6-6.pdf Lactiplantibacillus plantarum cholesterol-lowering probiotics intestinal flora High-cholesterol Diet